Evening capital., 1887-03-22
"The Good Old Days"

Men 80 years old remember when
there were no steamboats,, but all travel
on the water was done by the slow,
uncertain means of sailing vessels,
when if one started for New York it
was doubtful if he would reach there
in a day or week. Now we know
how many hours and minutes it re-
quires to. make the trip.
Men now 60 years old remember
when there were no railroads, but all
travel on land was done by stages, by
wagons, by OK teams, on horseback,
and on foot. Now network of rail-
roads covers the whole country, and
several lines run from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Ocean, Now it requires
only six or seven days to cross the con-
tinent. Formerly that trip required
three months.
Men so years old remember when
there were no photographs, but only
paintings and drawings, made at great
prices, of objects now done better in an
instant at trifing cost.
Men of that age also remember when
no steamboats, crossed the ocean, and
it was believed that they never could,
but now hundreds of steamboats, are
plowing every ocean, reducing the time
of crossing the Atlantic from weeks to
days.
Men 45 years old remember when
there was no electro-plating, but eyeiy-
thing in that line was done in the osd-
fashioned slow way.
Men of that age also remember
when there We're no telegraphs, but all
messages had to be sent by the slow
going mails.
Men 20 years old remember when
there were no telephones, but all the
messages now spoken through them
had to be sent by notes or. special mes
senger.
All these grand and useful inven-
tions have been made within the men,
ory of men now living. The younger
generation can never appreciate them
as those who remember the want of
them, and therefore the great convent
ence they are to the world.
We often hear of the ''good old days
of yore. Why deprive our children
of the enjoyment of those daysp Why
not pass law forbidding steamboats,
from ploughing the waters, railroads
from running on land, telegraphs from
sending messages, telephones from be-
ing used, all furnaces, steam-heaters,
ETC., to be taken out of houses and
other buildings, all CRATES for burning
coal be taken out, all stoves to be
melted for old iron, all water-works in
cities to be left empty, the use of all
gas and other illuminators, except dip
ped tallow candles, to be disused, and
really to 60 back to the 'good old
midnight on cold, stormy night, a
doctor is wanted he must be sent for
instead of telephoning for him. if one
wishes to send a message to distance,
instead of telegraphing he must write
a letter and send it by stages to dis
tant place and wait patiently for days
or weeks for the answer.
When one goes home on a freezing
night he can sit by wood fire. roast
ing one side while freezing the other,
and reading by the dim light of a tall
low dip instead of the blaze OF a gas
light or the more agreeable light of
kerosene. If he undertakes journey,
instead of getting into cars and going
where he wishes, the best he can do is
to take stage at four times the cost
and ten times the discomfort 6f the
cars. Let these and other modern inn
provements be forbidden. and the
''good old days be brought back, how
long would it be before an extra ses-
sion of the Legislature would be de-
manded to knock the ''good old days.
into splinters, and to restore the much
better modern days which we now en-
joy, and for which we ought to be
more deyoutly thankful?-Bridgeport
Standard.